The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-12-17
Diamonds in the United States.

Diamonds have occasionally been
found at a number of localities in the
United States, but the crystals are of in
frequent occurrence, and never in sutfi
cient quantities to warrant any extended
mining for them. The total number
found is not more than two hundred.
The largest authenticated diamond crys-
tai was found opposite Richmond, at
Manchester, Chesterfield county, Virginia,
by labOrer engaged in grading the
streets. Its original weight was 1914
carats, but it had large flaw in one side,
and had been injured by the finder rut-
ting it into an iron furnace in order to
prove its genuineness. After cutting, it
weighed H. carats. 1t passed into the
hands Of Captain Samuel Dewey, and was
by him named the "OninoOr," or Sea Of
Light. John Morrissey once loaned $1,000
on it, but, owing to it's poor color and
other imperfections, probably is not worth
more than 10 per cent Of that amount to-
day. A number of diamonds weighing
one carat each have been found in North
Carolina, ut various times from 1846 up to
the present time. They are usually found
in gold washings, associated with gold
and other rare minerals. This debris is
usually the result of the old gneissod, and
perhaps, the decomposcd peridotite rocks.
A diamond welgbin. Is carats was
found on the Alfred Bright farm in Dys-
artville, Mcdowell county, North Caro-
lima, in the summer of 1886, by the l2
yearold Willie Christie, who was sitting
at u spring, and saw ~ pretty trick"
about two feet from where he was sitting
He picked it up, took it home, and laid it
on a shelf. Only after two weeks did he
think Of taking it to any one for identifi-
cation. II WAS then sent to New York
for valuation. 1t is quite perfect, but hiss
a faint yellowish gray tint. These facts
were authenticated by the writer on the
spot. A number of small stones has also
been found in or near the elastic sand
stone belt in Georgia, most of them in the
gold washings of Hall county. Here
about forty diamonds have been found,
many of which were of fine quality. These
diamonds are usually met with in the re-
fuse Of sluice-boxes and ''long toms"
used in mining operations. California
has furnished them in many localities.
Professor F. WOehler Of Gottingen, Ger
many. discovered microscopic diamonds
in the platinum sands Of the Trinity
river, and in all the northern counties of
the State drained by the Trinity river:
also in Coos Bay, Oregon, and ic Smith
river, Del Norte county. Instances have
occurred where fragments of broken dia-
nionds have appeared among the debris
cleaned from the stamping batteries which
reduce gold ore. At Cherokee Flat, since
1853, from fifty to sixty diamonds have
been found. tue largest one weighing "A
carats, some Of them ose-c0lored, some
yellow and some white. The highest
price that has ever been paid for Cali
fornia diamond in the rough is $500.
The probable origin of tue South Afri-
can diamond is explained by Cohen,
Roscoe and Lewis as derived from an
eruptive rock. which was forced through
beds Of carbonaceous shale, thoroughly
breaking up the carbon, 80 that it was
disseminated through the volcanic rock
from the size of a pin point to large
masses. This heating Of the shale had
released, as Roscoe found, q volatile by
drocarbon, from which, he thinks, the
diamond was formed. A similar volcanic
rock, containing . csrbonaceous shale,
was found in Elliott county, Ken. Ly j.
8. D,ller; and the possibility of diamonds
being found there was suggested by Pro-
lessor Carville Lewis, and led to q sys-
tematic search by Mr.. Dillcr and the
writer, under mission from the United
States Geological Survey. Diamonds
were not found, and the shsle was found
to contain only one-6fth a. much carbon
Is the South African rock. Still there is
possibility that the eruptive rock may
have penetrated richer layers of the car
boniferous and Dcvonian rocks elese-
whcre.-Harper's Magazine for December.
In the case Of . woman who Was tried
for killing her husband with stone, the
verdict was rendered that the killing
was accidental, on the ground that il she
intentionally threw the stone ct him it
woull have bit something Ia an opposite
direction.